High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini is of the opinion that the historic summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore on Tuesday 12 June validates the European approach based on dialogue and diplomacy.
This summit reaffirms our strong conviction that "diplomacy is the only way forward towards lasting peace on the Korean peninsula", Mogherini stated in a press release. She added that the summit was "a necessary step" to build upon the positive developments recently achieved in inter-Korean relations thanks to the leadership of South Korea's President Moon Jae-in.
"The ultimate goal (...) remains the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula", Mogherini said, with the joint statement signed by the US and North Korean leaders giving "a clear signal" that this goal can be achieved.
The EU says it is ready to accompany the future negotiations in order to bring this objective of denuclearisation to fruition.
According to Trump, the commitment of his North Korean counterpart is indestructible. In order to facilitate a positive outcome to the negotiations, the USA and South Korea will cease their joint military activities.
This event – a North Korean initiative accepted by the USA at a time when the Americans have recently unilaterally called into question the Iran nuclear deal – has been hailed unanimously by the international community. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has said it is ready to conduct checks on the ground. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)